[01/12/12 - 12:00 PM]Showtime(R) to Examine "The World According to Dick Cheney"Oscar- and Emmy-Award winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler is behind the documentary, which chronicles the life of the former Vice President.

[via press release from Showtime]

SHOWTIME(R) TO EXAMINE "THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY"

LOS ANGELES, CA - (January 12, 2012) - SHOWTIME will venture into THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY (tentative title) with a captivating new documentary directed by Oscar(R)- and Emmy(R)-Award winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (The War Room, A Perfect Candidate), which chronicles the life of the former Vice President, one of the world's most powerful political figures, it was announced today by David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. The documentary is part of the network's new initiative to produce a slate of high-end, filmmaker-driven portraits of iconic figures.

With THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY, Cutler will offer up a measured, layered profile of the polarizing, controversial former vice president. Cheney's life and career will be deeply analyzed - from his days as Gerald Ford's 34-year-old chief-of-staff to his eight-year reign as the most powerful vice president this country has ever known. The recent publishing of his unapologetic memoir "In My Time" has served to remind the world of Cheney's vision during the George W. Bush administration and from Homeland Security to energy policy, from deficit spending to conflicts in the Middle East, Cheney's legacy lives on.

"Like it or not, we live in a world defined by the domestic and international vision of Dick Cheney - perhaps the single-most influential non-Presidential figure in American political history," said Cutler. "But for all the debate that his re-emergence in the public eye has caused, the fact is that Cheney the man remains an enigma, and the manner in which he utilized his power and experience to become such a dominating political figure, have been left largely unexplored. This documentary will shine a balanced and multi-dimensional light on this truly polarizing figure."

SHOWTIME recently announced the beginning of production on a documentary chronicling the life of infamous rap label mogul Suge Knight, directed by famed filmmaker Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Brooklyn's Finest).